Attitude and personality trait changes among nursing students and professionally active nurses working with older adults

We aimed to analyze if there are attitude changes toward older adults among nursing students and professionally active nurses, their attitudes regarding their job, and the personality traits based on their desire to remain in their current center. The study included 1,047 participants. The attitude toward people of an older age varied between the two study groups with differences in health- and motivation-related factors and no differences in personality-related traits attributed to older adults. Significant differences were seen in the personality traits agreeableness, awareness, and negative emotions; specifically, professionally active nurses showed higher levels of agreeableness and awareness, while negative emotions were observed more frequently among nursing students. Is possible to identify a profile that allows determining which variables are present in these professionals working with older adults that provide more satisfaction should they continue in their current job. Thus, professionally active nurses who wish to remain at their job have greater levels of engagement, a more appropriate adaptive performance, and more positive personality traits.